Once the home of the peaceful Potawatomi Indiana, Topeka is located the heart of northeast Indiana Amish country.

Originally Topeka was called Slabtown because of all the sawmills that were located in the area and the fact that most of the buildings were constructed of slab lumber. The Post Office was known as Haw Patch.

When the Wabash Railroad was constructed in 1893, railroad officials approached the local residents and suggested a name change. Since the construction workers thought that the area reminded them of Topeka, Kansas, they suggested the name "Topeka".